Wednesday 25 October 2023

Principal News

Welcome to Term 4, one of the busiest periods in a school year where (amongst many other exciting things) we get to review progress, celebrate growth and achievements and refine school improvement priorities for the following year.

2024 Planning

An important part of our work this term involves reviewing student numbers and structuring new class groups for 2024.

With just one Kindergarten group starting their learning journey with us next year, our K-6 enrolment will drop below 300 for the first time in more than 10 years. Our projected number of 289 students will result in the school having to pay for staffing from the school resource package to enable class sizes of between 22-26 students across 12 classes: Kindergarten, Prep, Prep-1, Y1-2(x2), Y2-3, Y3-4, Y4, Y4-5, Y5 & Y6(x2).

2024 Class Placements

Thank you to those families who have already made contact about 2024 class placements. Any requests for consideration, as per the TPS Class Placement Process, should be sent to Danielle by CoB next Monday, 30th October. 

Staff Movements

At the end of the year we will be farewelling two of our permanent teaching staff.

Debbie Clark will be retiring after dedicating many years to thousands of students, starting her teaching career in Canberra and moving to work in Tasmania at schools including Bruny Island District, Woodbridge District High, Kingston Primary and Taroona Primary schools.  After her LSL last term, which I believe she used as ‘retirement practice', Debbie has indicated that she is ready to take the plunge and move on to this next stage of her career!

Sarah Wilson will also be moving from Taroona in 2024 after 9 years at our school, teaching across our K-2 classes. Sarah will be transferring to Princes Street Primary School in 2024 where I know she will be warmly welcomed by the community.

Being inspirational members of our TPS team for many years, I look forward to joining with the community to celebrate Debbie and Sarah’s significant contributions to our school at our end of year celebration assembly on Monday 18th December. Please see below for all Term 4 ‘Key Dates’ and mark your diary for this not-to-be-missed event!

With permanent staff moving from our school, the opportunity arises for teachers from other schools to transfer in to join the TPS team. Next year we will have permanent teachers join us from Margate, Woodbridge and Herdsman’s Cove. I look forward to updating the community with more details later in the term.

Maisie and Kathryn are Retiring! 

It is with much sadness that I need to inform you that Maisie and Kathryn have retired from Story Dogs earlier than first planned, which was to be at the end of the year.  Kathryn and Maisie have provided  7 wonderful years of service to our school and supported many of our younger students in their reading journeys. We are planning a farewell in the near future to thank them both for their comittment to TPS over this long period of time. 

We are currently on the lookout for a new Story Dog team to start in 2024. Please see the information below and send on to any community members who you think may be interested in the position!  

Specialist Assembly 1:45pm Tuesday 31st October: All Welcome

The specialist team have been preparing for next week's assembly where children will celebrate their learning across our specialist learning areas including extra-curricular activities.  All interested parents and carers are welcome to attend.  

Best wishes

Danielle Bresnehan

PRINCIPAL

Key Dates for 2023

26 October – Show Day Holiday

27 October – Student Free Day – Teacher Professional Learning Day

31 October – Celebration Assembly – (Specialist Subject showcase)

2 November – Div B Interschool Swimming Carnival – selected students

21 November – TPSA meeting

22 November – Kinder – Year 2 Mini Athletics Carnival (Oval)

28 November – Champions Swimming Carnival – selected students

1 December – Year 3-6 School Triathlon – (Bellerive Beach)

6 December – Year 3-4 Excursion to Playhouse Theatre (3A, 3-4A & 4A)

14 December – Year 6 Big Day Out

15 December – Year 6 Orientation – (Taroona High School)

18 December – Step Up Day Session

18 December – End of Year Celebration Assembly – (12.30-2pm) – THS - gym

19 December – Beach Day

21 December – Year 6 Leavers’ Assembly (1.30-2.55pm) TPS – GP Hall

Year 3-6 Swimming Carnival

Last Friday, October 2 was our Year 3-6 Swimming Carnival at the Clarence Aquatic Centre. A successful day was had by all at the carnival, all staff and students had such fun and parents were there supporting and cheering. A big thanks goes out to the parent helpers who were there for the entire day making the day run so smoothly.

And a big congratulations to Melaleuca for winning the House points. It was so close!

We wish our Interschool squad all the best on Thursday 2 November at the Domain Aquatic Swim Centre (list of competing students below).

Thanks for all involved and proud we were of all on the day.

Adrian Stepnell

PE

Interschool Squad

Year 3: Oliver T, Max R, Sam S, Finn S, Lori C, Arki B.B, Luna B.S & Amy W

Year 4: Nick B, Ethan B, Lucas P, Monte G, Felix P, Florence L, Niamh C, Estella R, Georgia B & June A

Year 5: Cameron U, Flinders R, Moi C, Maxim O, Theo W, Alec S, Zita F, Bonnie M.J, Isla B, Annabella C & Iris D.L.M

Year 6: Roo H, Jamie P, Caspian S, James N, Lachie T, Ella C, Margot H, Millie C, Ashlin H, Georgie C & Alexandra D 

4A

Japanese

Konnichiwa Parents and Guardians! 

This term, our Year 5-6 students are engaged in the exciting process of learning to discuss their families in Japanese. This entails acquiring vocabulary related to family members, counting people and using this knowledge to create a lively rap song. For our Year 3-4 students, the focus is on weather. Students will embark on a journey to explore various aspects of weather and showcase their knowledge by presenting as weather reporters, describing the weather conditions across Australia. Lastly, our Kinder-2 students are diving into a delightful unit dedicated to pets. Throughout this unit, they will have the opportunity to describe their own pets or even create imaginary ones using the Japanese language. This promises to be a fun and engaging way for our youngest learners to grasp essential language concepts. 

New Soccer Goals

Student Parliament Representatives celebrated the delivery of our new portable soccer goals funded by the proceeds of our amazing cupcake stall. We can't wait to use them!

Butterfly Body Bright

Dear Families,

Our school is excited to have registered with Butterfly Body Bright, a new whole school evidence-based initiative of the Butterfly Foundation that aims to promote positive body image in all students so they can thrive socially, emotionally and academically.

Staff and students will be undertaking a range of activities to become a Body Bright School, and we look forward to sharing updates with you along the way.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or concerns.

Deirdre Cooper

School Health Nurse

Turning Up Matters

Welcome back to Term 4! We hope you enjoyed school holidays, and are ready for another exciting term.

We all want the best for our children – for their futures to be as bright as possible. Showing up every day to school really matters. It gives your child every chance to learn, grow and find their interests.

This last stretch of the school year can sometimes be tricky. Keep it up, because each day is another chance to:

• be around friends
• learn new things
• find interests
• create dream futures (whatever that may be!).

If you’re looking for tips on how to create better attendance habits, visit the Anything can happen website.

Please always talk to us if you’re having trouble getting your child to school. We’re here to help.

Tell Someone

All children in Tasmania have a right to be known, safe, well and learning. We are highly committed to the safety of all students at our school.

Earlier this month, DECYP launched the Tell Someone initiative, to raise awareness in the community about child sexual abuse and grooming.

The Tell Someone website gives children and young people clear advice on what to do in situations where they feel worried, unsafe or unsure. It also gives adults advice and support on how to respond if they suspect or know a child is being groomed or sexually abused or is at risk of harm.

Please visit the website, read the information, and try to find a suitable time to talk with your children about this issue and the resources available.  It’s important that you both understand the possible signs of sexual abuse or grooming behaviour, and how to stay safe online and offline.

If reading this information has caused you distress, please visit DECYP’s website for a list of support services.

Please contact the school if you have any questions about this information.

Sushi Term 4

Sushi Price Update for Term 4 - Due to an increase in pricing from our supplier, Sushi prices will change in term 4. 

• Sushi Rolls: $4.50
• Inari: $3.00
• Sushi Pack: $10.50

Thank you for your understanding.

Orienteering

Taking Medication at School

A reminder to our families that if your child requires any medication at school that a medication administration form needs to be completed. If there is ongoing medication, this form needs to be renewed annually.

Medication in Tasmanian Government Schools - Department for Education, Children and Young People (decyp.tas.gov.au)

Deirdre Cooper 

School Nurse

Working with Vulnerable People card

To volunteer at this school, you will be required to hold “Registration to Work with Vulnerable People”. This is mandatory.

HOW DO I APPLY FOR RWVP?

1. Complete the online application form. This is available from the website below.
2. Choose Department of Education from the organisation drop down box. Select Taroona Primary School from the location drop-down box.
3. Print the ‘application receipt’ which is generated when the application has been completed in full (if you do not have access to a printer, record the reference number and take that to a Service Tasmania Shop).
4. Take the ‘application receipt’ to a Service Tasmania Shop, have your photo taken and have your identity confirmed. You will need to satisfy the identity requirements. A driver’s licence will do this if it displays your correct name and address. The cost is $20.40.
5. The Tasmanian Department of Justice will assess and process applications and issue the Assessment Notice and Working with Vulnerable People Registration card directly to the applicant. You will receive an email advising of your approval. Please print this and use until your card arrives.

Click here to visit the Working with Children webpagehttp://www.justice.tas.gov.au/working_with_children

Generally, applicants will receive their results within six weeks of completing the application process. There may be delays, however, depending on the applicant’s personal information.

eSmart

Bambini Bites - Lunch Ordering

Please note that orders close at 9PM Monday night for service on Tuesday. 

Please make sure that you have have updated your child/rens profiles to reflect their correct class for 2023. We find this can cause major issues as orders go to the incorrect classroom. Please contact the office if you are not sure which class group to select. 

To cancel an order after the 9PM cut off, parents must follow this process. (instructions are also in PDF form below).

1. Parents MUST text message ONLY

2. Copy of order receipt is required which will include the reference number for the order placed

3. Parents need to confirm their child's name, school, class & ordered items.

Bambini will process a credit to your Qkr account within 3-5 business days that you can use in the future.

All order cancellations received after 7:45 AM will not be issued with a credit as the items will have been prepared for lunch service.

Missing Orders

Many 'missing' orders, when investigated further, have been ordered on the incorrect date which the parent has selected. Please ensure you are selecting the correct date for your childs lunch orders. 

School Information

Duty of Care

School staff have duty of care from 8:30am—3:10pm. If you need to drop your child at school earlier than 8.30am or collect after 3.10pm please contact Lady Gowrie to book them into Before or After School Care. Ph 6230 6800.

Teachers use the time from 8:00am till 8:30am for meetings, preparation and planning their days ready to warmly greet their students and parents from 8:30am. They appreciate this uninterrupted time to ensure they set up a positive learning day.

Signing Students in/out

If your child/ren arrive late or need to be collected early for an appointment, please make sure that they are signed in/out on the Kiosk system at the school office for accurate attendance records.

Messages to Students

If you need to get a message to your child, please contact the school before 2:15pm by phone only to ensure enough time for us to pass the message on.

Please make sure your child knows what to do at the end of their school day.

Are they going to:

• After School Care?
• Walking home?
• Turning Circle?
• What do they do if they usually walk but it is raining?

Allergy Aware Reminder

Taroona Primary is a nut aware school. Several of our students have severe reactions to nuts. We ask you to avoid sending any nuts or nut products (e.g. peanut butter or Nutella) in the food children bring to school.

Administration of Medications

The school is not authorised to administer Panadol/pain relief unless specific forms are completed. Any medications needing to be administered, such as antibiotics, will need an Administration of Medication Authorisation form completed.

Form A (non-prescription) – completed by parent
Form B (prescription) – must be completed by a Doctor/Pharmacist/Practise Nurse

Copies of these forms are below and can be accessed from the Schoolzine App under the Forms and Documents tab at any time.

Click here to download the Authorisation Forms to administer medication207 KB - PDF

Medical Action Plans

Every child at Taroona with a medical condition needs to supply an updated medical plan to the school each year, especially those with Anaphylaxis and Asthma. Staff from Taroona have been trained in Anaphylaxis using EpiPens and also in Ventolin administration for Asthma. If you are new to the school and your child has a medical condition please come into the office and collect an appropriate action plan form, or if you just have questions please don’t hesitate to phone the school.

Click here to download the Anaphylaxis Red EpiPen Action Plan flyer398 KB - PDF

Click here to download the Allergic Reactions Action Plan flyer237 KB - PDF

Click here to download the Drug Allergy Action Plan flyer161 KB - PDF

Click here to download the Asthma Action Plan flyer190 KB - PDF

Lost Property

Please make sure all clothing items, drink bottles, lunch boxes and small food containers are clearly marked/labelled with your child’s name. If named, all items can be easily returned to your child.

There is a lost property area near the admin block, through the doors to the blue stairwell. All unnamed lost school clothing items are periodically washed and donated back to the TPSA and all other items are donated to charity.

Lady Gowrie Taroona

Lady Gowrie Tasmania Outside School Hours Education and Care Services offer before school and after school care during school term time for children (4 to 12 years of age) at Taroona Primary School. These programs provide a relaxing transition between home and school and provide children with the opportunity to engage in meaningful recreation and learning experiences.

For more information, or to request an enrolment form, phone 6230 6806 or email clusteradmin@gowrie-tas.com.au.

Move Well Eat Well